Ezekiel 22:30, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap (intercede) before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one”

An intercessor by definition is person making petitions to God on behalf of another. Also one who pleads on behalf of another or stands in the gap. So I would conclude that an intercessor is not someone who particularly stands in the gap for his own needs but on behalf of someone else. Pleading is hard work, it’s draining however the results are amazing.

Before we talk more about an intercessor, let’s see if there are any intercessors in the bible. Jesus Christ is the greatest intercessor that has ever lived. While on earth He was interceding for His people, the disciples, the sick, the ones who will hear Him through His disciples. Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us“, Isaiah 53:12, “… And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors”, Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”. So we have Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father daily making intercession for us, He is forever working. Remember we pray to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ by the help and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is an intercessor, Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helps our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered”. The Spirit of the living God helps us by directing our prayers and putting the words in our mouths and empowers us to intercede as He intercedes for and through us.

There are individuals in the bible who also interceded for their people, Abraham, Genesis 18:22-23, “22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord 23, “And Abraham came near and said, “Would you destroy the righteous with the wicked?” if you continue to read down through the same chapter, you see Abraham interceding for Sodom for the sake of righteous people living there with Lot in mind. Moses was also in several situations interceding for the Israelites. Israelites complaints and murmur prompted the Lord to wipe them out, but then Moses pleaded (interceded) with God on their behalf. Daniel was another man who pleaded for his friends and wise man in Babylon, Daniel 2:18, “… that they seek mercies from God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men in Babylon“. His intercession was to know the meaning of the king’s dream so that they would not perish. This was more than to save his skin but those whose lives were in danger. In Daniel 9, we see him again interceding for people. A number in the bible interceded, people like King Jehoshaphat, Job interceded for his friends Job 42:10, men in the book of Acts such as when Peter was put in prison scheduled for execution, Acts 12:5, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer (intercession) was offered to God for him by the church“.

Looking at the work of intercession, I can see where the power of men lies. We cannot change it through other means, we can only change it through interceding. It works my friends, I am a witness to this. It is also very essential, and if Christ is doing it, how much more should we do it. You never know what the intercession of saints can do to a nation, state, city, community, neighborhood, home, to the unsaved etc. God values intercession and that is why it’s recorded in Ezekiel 22:30, “I sought for a man among them… who would stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land”. God wants to do something when His people begin to intercede. Isaiah 59:15&16, “The Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor”. Would we be the ones the Lord would find interceding? He is seeking for intercessors for this land. Blessings Evans